Relay



June l2, 1951 RELAY Filed April 25, 1947 fill!! uw H.

/7 FIG. 4

v1/avro@ W. E'. V/ OL j ATTORNEY Patented June 12, i 1951 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Bell Telephone Laboratories,

Incorporated,

New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 25, 1947,Serial No. 743,981

(Cl. D-104) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to electromagnetic "switching devices.

relay in which the operating gaps may be adjusted Without removal of theprotective cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relay in which thecontact springs are mounted so as to prevent the entrance of dust fromthe terminal side of the mounting.

A further object of the invention is to provide for readyinterchangeability of the relay coil windings without changing thecircuit wiring.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent during the course ofthe following description.

In general, the relay comprises a ceramic, glass, or plastic base inwhich sets of contact springs are embedded. The contact ends of the xedsprings are held in position by cards of insulating material and themovable springs are operable by a card of insulating material. A tubularcover member surrounds the springs and has its lower end attachable tothe base. The operating magnet is supported above the spring assembly inthe upper end of the cover member and may form a closure for the upperend of the cover. The core of the magnet extends perpendicular- 1y tothe direction of movement of the springs, and the armature, therefore,also acts at right angles to the direction of movement of the springsthereby reducing vibration. The armature has an operating leverextending at right angles therefrom, the free end of which engages atapered stud-gap adjuster which, in turn, bears against the end of thespring-operating card. The coil of the magnet has depending plug memberswhich are insertable into jacks molded into the base member so that themagnet and cover may be readily detached from the base as a unit.

The features of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing detailed description made with reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which: s

Fig. l shows a partial cross-section of the front elevation of a relayembodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a partial cross-section of the side elevation;

Fig. 3 shows a top cross-section along 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 shows a fragmentary side elevation along 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In a ceramic, plastic, or glass base Il, a plurality of contact springsI2 and I3 are embedded. The fixed, L-shaped contact springs I2 aremaintained relatively stationary by the insertion of their upperportions into the teeth of a card I4 of insulating material. The movablecontactsprings I3 are bifurcated to provide double contact with thesprings l2, and are notched to provide an interlocking engagement withteeth on an insulating actuating card I5. Lateral movement of thecontact-actuating member I5 is limited by a card stop IB, also embeddedin the base.

A cover l1 is removably attached to base II by means of two coverprojections I8 engaging notches in the base as best disclosed in Fig. 4and by two screws I9 engaging tapped holes in the base.

A removable closure member 20 in cover I1 is attached by means of a tang2| and a screw 22, thereby providing ready access to the workingelements of the relay for maintenance.

Attached to the cover I 1, in any suitable manner, is a pot type magnet23 with a central core 24. A coil 25 supported on core 24 serves tooperate a rectangular armature 28 which is held in pivotal contact withreturn path member 23 by means of a hooked spring 21. Screws 23 threadedinto tapped holes in member 23 engage a slot in the spring 21 to providethat the tension of said spring be adjustable. A back-stop 29 isprovided at the opposite edge of armature 26 and is similarly mounted inorder to permit adjustment of the armature gap.

The armature 26 has an integral angularly extending lever 30 whichactuates card I5 through an intermediate tapered separator 3|. Thisseparator is attached through a wire spring 32 to an adjusting screw 33which engages a tapped hole in base II and is adjustable from theoutside of the base.

The separator is allowed lateral movement by virtue of its flexiblespring mounting, and may be adjusted longitudinally by means of screw 33to control the card gap between armature lever 30 and card I5.

Also insulatedly mounted on each side of the cover l1 are two upperterminal connectors 34 which at their upper ends are connected to thecoil winding terminals 35, and at their lower ends mate with lowerterminal connectors 3G embedded in base member I I. Figs. 2 and 3 showtwo mating pairs of said terminal connectors mounted on each side of thecover to provide for double-wound relays. In the single-wound relaydepicted, only two of the four mating pairs are utilized.

In operation, the energization of the coil causes the armature 26 topivot about the line of contact with member 23. As a result lever 30 isforced against separator 3| in a direction substantially perpendicularto the spring movement. Pressure from the separator causes a lateralmovement of card l5, thereby bringing the active springs I3 into contactwith passive springs I2.

A contact protection condenser and resistance may be aiiixed to the basein the space between the sets of contact springs as at 31 in the drawingand connected across the coil winding in the wellknown manner.

It may be seen from the nature of the construction that upon release ofscrews I9, the cover may be disengaged from the base at i8 and liftedtherefrom. The electromagnet and armature lever will remain within thecover and the winding terminal plugs 34 will be disengaged from theterminal jacks 36 thereby permitting ready accessibility to theoperating parts and also allowing for the interchanging of the relaycoil windings Without changing the circuit wiring.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matterA hereinbefore set forth, or shown in theaccompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. In a relay, a base of insulating material, a plurality of contactsprings mounted therein, a cover surrounding said springs and detachablysecured at one end to said base, a core, an energizing coil supported onsaid core, upper terminal connectors joined to the terminals of saidcoil, lower terminal connectors mounted in said base and detachablyconnected to said upper terminal connectors, a magnetic mem-bersurrounding said coil and supported in the end of said cover, anarmature, and means controlled by said armature to move certain of saidcontact springs with respect to others of said springs.

2. In a relay, a base of insulating material, a plurality of contactsprings mounted therein, a cover surrounding said springs and detachablysecured at one end to said base, and an electro'- magnet supported inthe other end of said cover, said electromagnet having an armatureprovided with a lever for operating said contact springs, a contactactuating element controlled by said lever to move certain of saidcontact springs with respect to others of said springs, a means foradjustably separating said lever and said contact actuating elementcomprising a screw threaded into said base, a flexible rod attached tosaid screw and a tapered separator aixed to said iiexible rod andintermediate the contact actuating element and the armature lever.

3. In a relay, a base of insulating material, a plurality of contactsprings mounted therein, a cover surrounding said springs and detachablysecured at one end to said base, a core, an energizing coil supported onsaid core, a magnetic member surrounding said coil and supported in theend of said cover, an armature having a lever, a contact actuating cardcontrolled by said lever to move certain of said contact springs withrespect to others of said springs, a means for adjustably separatingsaid lever and said card comprising a screw threaded into said base, ailexible rod attached to said screw and a tapered separator affixed tosaid flexible rod and intermediate the contact actuating card and thearmature lever.

4. In a relay, a base of insulating material, a plurality of contactsprings mounted therein, a

cover surrounding said springs and detachably` secured at one ond tosaid base, a core, an enersizing coil supported cn said core, upperterminal connectors joined to the terminals of said coil, lower terminalconnectors mounted on said base and detachably connected to said upperterminal connectors, a magnetic member surrounding said coil andsupported at the end of said cover, an armature having a lever, acontact actuating card controlled by said lever to move certain of saidcontact springs with respect to others of said springs, a means foradjustably separating said lever and said actuating card comprising ascrew threaded into said base, a flexible rod attached to said screw and`a tapered separator affixed to said flexible rod and intermediate thecontact actuating card and the armature lever.

WALTER E. VIOL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,847,208 Bennett Mar. 1, 19321,997,655 Sanford et al Apr. 16, i935 2,052,319 Siegmund Aug. 25, 19362,069,162 Hailes Jan. 26, 1937 2,069,171 Merkel Jan. 26, 1937 2,134,945Howe Nov. l, 1933 2,246,301 Hanna et al June 17, 1941 2,258,122 MerkelOct. 7, 1941 2,416,569 Cianchi Feb. 25, 1947 2,449,221 Hammerly Sept.14, 1948

